For
the first time in over 100 years, the sight of people riding around City streets
on a Penny Farthing Bicycle may soon become a familiar one. The Midlands-based
Hawk Factory Outlet has re-designed the bicycle for the modern market. The
bicycle retails at £129.99. The bicycle, of course, can be seen many
times in The Prisoner and is used as the Village symbol in the series.

Assistant
Manager Dave Hampson said: "You wouldn't buy it, for example, for your
daily commute to work and for long distances. I suppose what you could best
describe it as, is purely a bit of fun, and that is what people who are buying
it think........Retro bikes are proving to be very popular at the moment.
We have had things like the chopper coming back, and the Penny Farthing fits
into that niche."

The Unmutual
is not aware of any plans to add stripy canopies and numbers to the bicycles.

Other
Penny Farthing News: Lloyd
Scott, best known for completing the London Marathon in a full antique diving
suit, has had to halt his latest venture, travelling from Perth to Sydney
on a Penny Farthing dressed in a tweed suit, due to an accident. "It's
nothing more than hitting a pothole at the wrong speed and angle - simply
bad luck", said Mr Scott, who hopes to raise £1.5m for charity
when the trip is completed.

Many
thanks to Richard Fleury for bringing this news item to our attention.